Application of a new type of moving bio-film in aerobic sequencing batch reactor (aerobic-SBR)

A moving bio-film (MB), made from the inner tube of used tyres was applied in a conventional-aerobic-SBR for increasing the system efficiency and quality of bio-sludge due to good sedimentation (the density of 1.925+/-0.21 g/cm(3)), non-biodegradability and re-usability of the media without any regeneration. The total bio-sludge mass of the MB-aerobic-SBR was about 30% higher than that of the conventional-aerobic-SBR resulting in a reduction of the F/M value of the system and amount of suspended bio-sludge waste. The amount of suspended bio-sludge waste, SVI and SRT of the MB-aerobic-SBR under a low organic loading of 80+/-9.3g BOD(5)/m(3)-d were 1,485+/-146 mg/d, 51+/-3.7 ml/g and 10.1+/-5.1 days, respectively while they were 1,800+/-152 mg/d, 69+/-4.0 ml/g and 8.3+/-5.3 days, respectively in the conventional-aerobic-SBR. The BOD(5), TKN and TP removal efficiencies of the MB-aerobic-SBR were about 1-2, 2-3 and 10-12% higher, respectively, than that of the conventional-aerobic-SBR. Also, the BOD(5) and COD removal efficiencies of the MB-aerobic-SBR were higher than 95% even when the system was operated with synthetic wastewater containing 800 mg/l BOD(5) under a very low HRT of 1.5 days (organic loading of 528+/-50.8 g BOD(5)/m(3)-d). The effluent BOD(5), COD, total kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus and suspended solids of the MB-aerobic-SBR under a high organic loading of 528+/-50.8 g BOD(5)/m(3)-d were 45+/-5.1, 37+/-3.6, 4.1+/-1.0, 1.5+/-0.80 and 41+/-2mg/l, respectively.     

Atmospheric photochemistry and secondary aerosol formation of urban air in Lyon, France

Photochemical aging of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere is an important source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). To evaluate the formation potential of SOA at an urban site in Lyon (France), an outdoor experiment using a Potential Aerosol Mass (PAM) oxidation flow reactor (OFR) was conducted throughout entire days during January-February 2017. Diurnal variation of SOA formations and their correlation with OH radical exposure (OHexp), ambient pollutants (VOCs and particulate matters, PM), Relative Humidity (RH), and temperature were explored in this study. Ambient urban air was exposed to high concentration of OH radicals with OHexp in range of (0.2–1.2)×10¹² molecule/(cm³?sec), corresponding to several days to weeks of equivalent atmospheric photochemical aging. The results informed that urban air at Lyon has high potency to contribute to SOA, and these SOA productions were favored from OH radical photochemical oxidation rather than via ozonolysis. Maximum SOA formation (36 µg/m³) was obtained at OHexp of about 7.4 × 10¹¹molecule/(cm³?sec), equivalent to approximately 5 days of atmospheric oxidation. The correlation between SOA formation and ambient environment conditions (RH & temperature, VOCs and PM) was observed. It was the first time to estimate SOA formation potential from ambient air over a long period in urban environment of Lyon.     

Degradation of micropolluants in flow-through VUV/UV/H2O2 reactors: Effects of H2O2 dosage and reactor internal diameter

The degradation of atrazine (ATZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and metoprolol (MET) in flow-through VUV/UV/H₂O₂ reactors was investigated with a focus on the effects of H₂O₂ dosage and reactor internal diameter (ID). Results showed that the micropollutants were degraded efficiently in the flow-through VUV/UV/H₂O₂ reactors following the pseudo first-order kinetics (R² > 0.92). However, the steady-state assumption (SSA) kinetic model being vital in batch reactors was found invalid in flow-through reactors where fluid mixing was less sufficient. With the increase of H₂O₂ dosage, the ATZ removal efficiency remained almost constant while the SMX and MET removal was enhanced to different extents, which could be explained by the different reactivities of the pollutants towards HO^?. A larger reactor ID resulted in lower degradation rate constants for all the three pollutants on account of the lower average fluence rate, but the change in energy efficiency was much more complicated. In reality, the electrical energy per order (E_EO) of the investigated VUV/UV/H₂O₂ treatments ranged between 0.14–0.20, 0.07–0.14 and 0.09–0.26 kWh/m³/order for ATZ, SMX and MET, respectively, with the lowest E_EO for each pollutant obtained under varied H₂O₂ dosages and reactor IDs. This study has demonstrated the efficiency of VUV/UV/H₂O₂ process for micropollutant removal and the inadequacy of the SSA model in flow-through reactors, and elaborated the influential mechanisms of H₂O₂ dosage and reactor ID on the reactor performances.     

Sorption of metals onto natural organic matter as a function of complexation and adsorbent-adsorbate contact mode

The effect of complexing anion and adsorbate-adsorbent contact mode (static equilibrium or dynamic non-equilibrium) on binding and partition of Cu(2+), Cd(2+) and Zn(2+) onto organic matter (exemplified in a low-moor peat) was studied. The study comprised comparative batch and column flow-through sorption experiments on monometallic solutions of Me-Cl and Me-SO(4) salts, at pH 4.0, and sequential fractionation of sorbed metals with respect to binding strength. Both the presence of an anion having complexing properties (Cl(-)) as well as a contact mode was found to quantitatively and qualitatively affect the sorption capacity and binding strength of organic matter (peat) for metal ions. Complexing effect of Cl(-) on metal ions resulted mostly in reduction of metal ability to form strongly bound metal-organic compounds, in accordance with the order of stability constant of complex ions log K: Cd>Zn>Cu. Flow-through (dynamic) contact mode, which is the most appropriate to simulate environmental conditions, appeared to strongly attenuate the complexing effect of chloride ions on Cd and Zn sorption, and significantly enhance sorption capacity also in the absence of complexing ions. For Cd, it was mainly due to the enrichment in the strongly bound "insoluble organic" fraction, while for Zn the quantitative increase of sorption capacity did not alter significantly its partitioning. Neither a quantitative nor qualitative effect of contact mode on Cu binding was observed. Complex and diverse effects of different environmental parameters on metal sorption capacity and binding strength onto organic matter, which strongly influence metal mobility, leads to the conclusion that the correct simulation of these parameters for ecotoxicological testing is crucial for the reliable predicting of metal bioavailability under actual terrestrial environmental conditions.     

Optimum parameters for fault detection and diagnosis system of batch reaction using multiple neural networks

Batch process usually differs from the continuous process because of its time-varying variables and the process parameters. An early detection and isolation of faults in the process will help to reduce the process upsets and keep it safe and reliable. This paper discusses on the application of multi-layer perceptron neural network in detecting various faults in batch chemical reactor based on an esterification process that involves the reaction of ethanol and acetic acid catalyzed by sulfuric acid. A multi-layer feed forward neural network with double hidden layers has been used in the neural network architecture. The detection was based on the different patterns generated between normal and faulty conditions. An optimum network configuration was found when the network produced the minimal error with respect to the training, testing and data validation.     

Removal of a cationic bisbiguanide using Functionalized Activated Carbons (FACs)

Functionalized Granular Activated Carbons (FACs) are used as adsorbents for treating pharmaceutical wastewaters containing Chlorhexidine Gluconate. Chemical modifications of Granular Activated Carbons (GACs) using functionalizing agents like HCl and HF produce FACs. The adsorption capacity of each of FAC-HCl and FAC-HF is found to be higher than GAC. The modelled maximum adsorption capacity for FAC-HCl is 1.02 g/g of adsorbent, 3.49 g/g of adsorbent for FAC-HF and 0.0682 g/g of adsorbent for GAC. This is mainly due to the additional chemisorptions by surface complexation at the functionalized surface sites of the modified GACs. This is also supported by the well-known pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Formation of surface complexes with the functional groups and weakly polar Chlorhexidine Gluconate is well supported by the physical characterization using Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), Brunner–Emmett–Teller (BET) test and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis after adsorption. The adsorption capacity of GAC and the FACs increases in the order of FAC-HF > FAC-HCl > GAC conforming to the proportion of the total acidity of the carbon surfaces. Intra-particle diffusion is not the sole rate-controlling factor. An agreement to pseudo-second-order kinetic model, Elovich kinetic model and Boyd's film diffusion model proves that chemisorption is the rate-controlling parameter in this adsorption study.     

The combined effects of biomass and temperature on maximum specific ammonia oxidation rate in domestic wastewater treatment

• Actual SAORs was determined using MLVSS and temperature. • Measured SAOR decreased with increasing MLVSS 1.1‒8.7 g/L. • Temperature coefficient (θ) decreased with increasing MLVSS. • Nitrification process was dynamically simulated based on laboratory-scale SBR tests. • A modified model was successfully validated in pilot-scale SBR systems. Measurement and predicted variations of ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) are critical for the optimization of biological nitrogen removal, however, it is difficult to predict accurate AOR based on current models. In this study, a modified model was developed to predict AOR based on laboratory-scale tests and verified through pilot-scale tests. In biological nitrogen removal reactors, the specific ammonia oxidation rate (SAOR) was affected by both mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) concentration and temperature. When MLVSS increased 1.6, 4.2, and 7.1-fold (1.3‒8.9 g/L, at 20°C), the measured SAOR decreased by 21%, 49%, and 56%, respectively. Thereby, the estimated SAOR was suggested to modify when MLVSS changed through a power equation fitting. In addition, temperature coefficient (θ) was modified based on MLVSS concentration. These results suggested that the prediction of variations ammonia oxidation rate in real wastewater treatment system could be more accurate when considering the effect of MLVSS variations on SAOR.     

Biological removal of selenate in saline wastewater by activated sludge under alternating anoxic/oxic conditions

Removal of selenate in saline wastewater by activated sludge was examined. Sequencing batch reactor was operated under alternating anoxic/oxic conditions. Above 97% removal of soluble selenium (Se) was achieved continuously. Major Se removal mechanism varied depending on the length of aeration period. Various Se-reducing bacteria likely contributed to coordinately to Se removal. Selenium (Se)-containing industrial wastewater is often coupled with notable salinity. However, limited studies have examined biological treatment of Se-containing wastewater under high salinity conditions. In this study, a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) inoculated with activated sludge was applied to treat selenate in synthetic saline wastewater (3% w/v NaCl) supplemented with lactate as the carbon source. Start-up of the SBR was performed with addition of 1–5 mM of selenate under oxygen-limiting conditions, which succeeded in removing more than 99% of the soluble Se. Then, the treatment of 1 mM Se with cycle duration of 3 days was carried out under alternating anoxic/oxic conditions by adding aeration period after oxygen-limiting period. Although the SBR maintained soluble Se removal of above 97%, considerable amount of solid Se remained in the effluent as suspended solids and total Se removal fluctuated between about 40 and 80%. Surprisingly, the mass balance calculation found a considerable decrease of Se accumulated in the SBR when the aeration period was prolonged to 7 h, indicating very efficient Se biovolatilization. Furthermore, microbial community analysis suggested that various Se-reducing bacteria coordinately contributed to the removal of Se in the SBR and main contributors varied depending on the operational conditions. This study will offer implications for practical biological treatment of selenium in saline wastewater.     

UASB反应器处理异VC钠废水的启动特性研究

在污泥接种浓度为10g／L,水温35℃-38℃的条件下,采用逐渐加大进水量提高有机负荷的方式45d内可以完成UASB反应器处理异VC钠生产废水的启动。启动完成后UASB反应器的容积负荷为6kgCOD／（m^3·d）,CODcr去除率可以达到85％。调试过程中向反应器内加入适量FeSO4,可以使污泥在较短时间内实现颗粒化,形成粒径为1mm～2mm、沉降性能良好的颗粒污泥。反应器出水VFA保持在400mg／L以下并能比pH更灵敏的反应出反应器内部的环境变化。     

Seed selections for crystallization of calcium phosphate for phosphorus recovery

Seed induces and promotes the crystallization of calcium phosphate, and acts as carrier of the recovered phosphorus （P）. In order to select suitable seed for P recovery from wastewater, three seeds including Apatite （AP）, Juraperle （JP） and phosphate-modified Juraperle （M-JP） were tested and compared. Batch and fixed-bed column experiments of seeded crystallization of calcium phosphate were undertaken by using synthetic wastewater with 10 mg/L P phosphate. It shows that AP has bad enduring property in the crystallization process, while JP has better performance for multiple uses, and M-JP is a hopeful seed for P recovery by crystallization of calcium phosphate.